Markelle Fultz Can Picture Forming 'Craziest Backcourt' With Isaiah Thomas In Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- While Celtics fans are currently focused on the NBA Playoffs, the upcoming NBA Draft will always be in the back of their minds.
The Celtics will soon take advantage of owning the right to swap picks with the Brooklyn Nets, who after a 20-win season have a 25 percent chance of landing the top overall pick in the NBA Draft Lottery. Those ping-pong balls will bounce on May 16 to determine where the Celtics will pick come June 22.
It's already being debated who the Celtics would/should take if they land that first overall pick, with the choice coming down to UCLA's Lonzo Ball and Washington's Markelle Fultz. Given that they're both point guards, that has led to speculation that Isaiah Thomas won't be on the team should Boston land one of those two prized prospects.
But according to Fultz, he and Thomas would make up a pretty entertaining and dominating backcourt for Boston.
"We always talk about the opportunity. That would be the craziest backcourt. The way he scores, the way I can pass, and the way I can score… we can switch between the one and two," Fultz imagined in a recent interview with SI.com.
Fultz has talked with Thomas, a Huskie alum, quite a bit since the Celtics' All-Star worked out with his alma mater last fall. The two also worked out in Washington over the summer, and Thomas was impressed with what he saw in the 18-year-old.
Thomas said in an interview earlier this year that Fultz was "special" and added "he's got the full package," according to Sports Illustrated.
Fultz's size -- at 6-foot-4 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan -- is what's most intriguing about the potential star of the future, though not many got to see him go to work in a down season for the Huskies. He averaged 23.2 points while shooting 48 percent from the floor and 42 percent from three-point range, adding 5.9 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game.
He plans on being the No. 1 pick in June, but Fultz comes off as anything but cocky in the interview with SI. He's learned to respect others from his close relationship with his mother and sister, but also made it clear that he fears no one.
The sky is his limit, and Fultz is eager to show off his versatility at the next level.
"If they need me to play the one, I can do that. Get somebody involved, get the other people open. But also, if they need me at the two, I can just score the ball. Or if you need me to do both, score at times... I can do anything you need," he said.
With the Celtics placing an emphasis on positional versatility, it sounds like Fultz would be the perfect fit if they get the opportunity to add the up-and-comer to their roster in a few months.
